Eight arrested for operating illegal gambling den on Long Island: cops

These guys didn’t know when to fold.

Eight Long Island men were busted Thursday for allegedly using a North Amityville deli as a backdoor gambling den.

Suffolk County police raided the Tropical Deli & Grocery off Sunrise Highway near Albany Avenue after hours around 9:30 p.m. and discovered the illegal setup after complaints from locals, according to the Amityville Record.

The exterior of Tropical Deli & Grocery is shown.
A Suffolk County deli in North Amityville was raised for illegal gambling Thursday night. Google Maps

Owner Rafael Valero, 51, of Amityville, manager Robert Rodriguez, 34, of nearby Copaigue, and betting operator Angelo Fernandez Nunez, 33, of Port Jefferson, were all cuffed on possession of a gambling device charges.

Five others — Anadel Diaz, 35, of Rockville Center; Jose Rivera, 32, of Copaigue; Max Zepeda, 38, of Deer Park; Jorge Guzman Valladares, 39, of Amityville; and Ernest Jackson, 68, of Freeport — were booked for loitering with the purpose of gambling.

The side of Tropical Deli & Grocery is shown.
Police raised the deli after complaints from locals. Google Maps

They are due in Islip court on February 26.

The arrests come on the heels of a former Nassau County detective, Hector Rosario, going to trial for allegedly moonlighting for the Bonanno crime family by holding fake raids on rival illegal gambling operations on Long Island.

In November, Nassau Police also busted up an illegal sports betting ring run by an East Meadow senior citizen, Anthony Frascone, 75, and four of his associates, Long Island Press reported.

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